The Year in Reading: “Life” and “Radioactive”

I loved the Keith Richards autobiography “Life”—although the “auto” part of that is obviously problematic, since Richards neither wrote, nor, apparently, remembered much of what was in the book. But the book was so good I’m wondering if it’s time to retire the unassisted autobiography altogether. Who knew Richards was so thoughtful, so ruthless, and so calculating? His story is a reminder of just how tough and resilient that class of post-war, lower-middle-class English really were.

My other favorite book I read this year was Lauren Redniss’s “Radioactive.” It’s hard to know how to describe it. It’s the story of the nuclear age told through the love story of Madame and Pierre Curie, in the format of a graphic novel. Sort of. The artwork is actually far more original and brilliant than is usually the case with that genre. “Radioactive” was nominated for the National Book Award. It should have won.